Friction reduction on cylindrical surfaces by texturing with a piezoelectric actuated tool holder

Friction reduction was investigated by making textured surfaces on outer cylindrical surfaces. The textured surfaces were manufactured by a piezoelectric tool holder actuator (PTHA), which was assembled in a lathe machine. Experimental and mathematical investigations were carried out. The experiments were carried out to investigate whether or not the textured surfaces could improve the lubrication performance of a cylindrical-contact planar surface. The textured surfaces were made on aluminum 6061 and carbon steel 1045 using vibration frequencies ranging from 50 Hz to 250 Hz. A block-on-ring tribometer was used in the experiments. A normal load of 50 N was applied with rotation speeds between 100 rpm and 1000 rpm. The experimental results show that the textured surfaces reduce the coefficient of friction by 20 to 40%. Also, this paper points out the limitation of the PTHA in fabricating various shapes as in the other methods.